Thursday, September 6, 2012

"University of the Ages"

Known as the largest Catholic University, University of Santo Tomas, UST or colloquially known as: "Uste" for Thomasians like me, is also the only university with the title of "Pontifical", "Royal" and "Catholic" to it. It's complete name: "The Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, The Catholic University of the Philippines", represents not only it's unique heritage but also its social ideals and staunch religious beliefs.
It is the oldest university in the Philippines and in Asia that literally stood the test of time - 400 years to be exact, whose corridors and classrooms have been the home of illustrious personalities like: Jose Rizal, our national hero and former President of the First Commonwealth, Manuel L. Quezon.
Historically, the title "Pontifical" was given by Pope Leo XIII; and the title "Royal" was given by King Charles III of Spain; while "Catholic University was given by Pope Pius XII. Titles that not only command respect and awe, but also immense admiration for the Dominican priests, educators, staff members, students and especially the graduates of this dynamic university for which the founder: Fr. Miguel de Benavides has entrusted to.

The Main Building - where the Department of Biology is located and where I spent 4 yrs of my colorful university life. It is also the first earthquake-resistant building in the Philippines.

I had the chance to visit my alma mater recently and except the photo above which was professionally taken, I took some pictures and was glad to have had the opportunity to see my university through the lens of my camera, well cellphone camera to be exact.

Here's a lucky shot that I made and even included Fr. Benavides' statue right smack in the middle:

The tower at the center of the Main Building has a cross on it and I remember funny incidents wherein a white Mercedes Benz suddenly parked right in front of the entrance and a woman dressed in a white wedding gown hurriedly asked: "Is this the church?" or outsiders making the sign of the cross as they pass by this building (I was in high school back then). The topmost floor of the Main Building is where the Biology laboratories are located. This was where I had countless hours viewing specimens under the microscope, drawing and labeling them at the back of my laboratory manual and marveling at preserved specimens of different Phyla and Sub classes (Taxonomy - loved this!).

The "main" entrance of the Main Building and the grand stairs at the very center leading to the UST Museum of Arts and Sciences that hosts a collection of different historical artifacts, artworks and biological specimens (a two-headed goat, two-headed python and a very long python starting from the entrance leading to the very end of the museum, amongst others). There are also two access stairways on each side leading to the classrooms and offices of the different departments located there. It's basically the same old building that I was familiar with, except for the I.D. scanner that wasn't there 20 years ago. Imagine what another 20 years would be like.

Since I don't always get the chance to come here, I decided to visit the Department of Biology and hoped that I could meet my old professors. I had a look around the classrooms and corridors and there weren't any students at that time. More so, the professors I knew were either retired or weren't there. Oh, well. Tough luck - it was worth a try. While looking at my immediate surroundings, I just had the fondest memories of setting up exhibits along the corridor to get ready for the "Science Week" and we were all stationed in each of our exhibits to showcase our research and answer random queries from fellow students who were either curious or were gathering data as part of their homework given to them by their professors.

It was how I exactly remembered it:

Department of Biology (door to the right)

classrooms and specimen cabinets (left)

This is how the corridors look like when there are no classes. Imagine the opposite. Yep, it's practically teeming with students donned in white, each of whom finding their respective classrooms or simply roaming around the hallways just to meet their friends,....girlfriends or boyfriends....amidst the piercing look of some strict professors. (kidding!)

I then decided to head back the entrance and visit the church, which most outsiders don't realize is a few yards away from the Main Building. I couldn't blame them though, it's the Main Building that has the cross on top of it, while the Central Seminary (where potential priests stay and study), where the church is located doesn't have one:

entrance to the UST church

I also noticed some changes in the facade. It was greatly improved and beautified with elegant landscaping and tiles shaped like a "half-sun" fronting the entrance (top picture). The life-sized "400" above represents the quadricentennial status of the university and another one is located at the Espana gate:

It was a shame I wasn't able to attend the Quadricentennial celebration last year. It was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to be a part of the special celebration of the 400 years of history, excellence and existence of my alma mater, sadly - I had work at that time. Still, it makes me proud to be a Thomasian and be an inspiration to all those I have the opportunity of meeting. (will all modesty aside! - hehehe)

One of the most important historical structures that has been declared as a National Cultural Treasure by the National Museum of the Philippines (apart from the Main Building, Central Seminary and Football Field) is the replica of the Arch of the Centuries right in front of the main gate of the university. The original one located in an old spanish fort, Intramuros was destroyed in WWII.

This was the arch that served as the main entrance of the university during the Spanish Colonial times in Intramuros ("walled city" in Spanish) and this replica was built to remind future students of the rich history of what this university has been a part of as well as the well-known figures who have been an alumni of this university. (Jose Rizal and former President Quezon).

The football field below (beyond the trees) is just a few yards from this arch and is where I have had my arnis and softball exercises as well as military drills as required before in the curriculum (4th yr. high school and 1st yr. college). I would spend hours with my male classmates under the searing heat of the sun and do what the drill master asks as to do. Whew!

Twenty years have passed since I first walked in the gates and corridors of the high school and university I graduated from and indeed, a lot has changed. The walkways, parking lots and even the Central Library which is now fully airconditioned and everything is computerized, like the I.D. scanners in the entrances of the colleges.

There will be a lot more changes in the years to come, but the Thomasian spirit which embodies its core ideals and catholic values as well as the highest level of competence that are imparted to students in each of their chosen professions will always remain.

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About Me

An unorthodox thinker and non-conformist. Constantly reinventing oneself and striving to be a non-judgmental person and constantly in pursuit of self-improvement in whatever I do. Quite adventurous and loves an engaging conversation. Hates judgmental people and bullies. Creative and analytical, very practical and methodical, neat-freak and a perfectionist (hey, nobody's perfect - so give me a break:)). Mostly non-confrontational, but does so when necessary. A strong believer in reasonable spending and financial awareness/wellness and the importance of health as well as "work-life" balance. (I'm not a Libran for nothing ;))